Japanese classification society ClassNK issued a statement today on the ongoing investigation into what might have gone wrong with the ill-fated containership, MOL Comfort, which cracked in half in heavy seas on June 17th.
ClassNK was the firm responsible for ensuring the vessel was designed and inspected in accordance with international ship design regulations and codes for ship design, and is the largest member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) by gross tonnage.
In an emailed statement today, ClassNK comments,
“The ClassNK Casualty Investigation Team continues to cooperate with Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), and government authorities to determine the cause of casualty.
As part of the ongoing investigation, an exhaustive review of the MOL Comfort’s design as well as the plan approval process has been completed. This review has verified the results of the plan approval process, and confirmed that the vessel design fully complied with all requirements of the ClassNK Rules and IACS regulations.
A similar review of the vessel’s survey records has also been completed, and confirmed that the Special Survey of the vessel completed on 29 May 2013 was carried out in full compliance with the regulations and guidance for Special Surveys. The review also verified that no abnormalities were observed during the Special Survey and that the vessel was in full compliance with all requirements of the ClassNK Rules and IACS regulations at the time of survey completion.”
Based on today’s statement by ClassNK, there’s no doubt that intense scrutiny will be placed on specifically how this vessel was loaded and the process in place to ensure the vessel was not improperly loaded before sailing. Forensic study of the hull cross section will commence when the vessel arrives in port to further verify that the ship was constructed in accordance with the approved ship design plans.
Ship owner, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines has appointed London-based classification society, Lloyd’s Register as an independent technical consultant to help determine the cause of the incident. Lloyd’s Register is also a prominent member of IACS and has extensive experience in the inspection and design approval of containerships in the 8,000 TEU range.
By Yannis Souliotis ATHENS (Reuters) – A Greek appeals court on Friday reduced the prison sentences of 11 men involved in trafficking 1.2 metric tons of cocaine from the Caribbean into Europe...
Billionaire Jared Isaacman and the Polaris Dawn crew made a triumphant return to Earth on Sunday, marking the end of a historic mission. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule splashed down...
By Alex Longley (Bloomberg) Greece’s navy has (once again) extended a series of naval drills by two months as the country tries to deter Russian oil transfers on its coastline. The...
September 15, 2024
Total Views: 1858
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.